Chapter 350: Hope and Vigor!
Trantor: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97
The door of the training room slowly opened, from which Li Yao walked out.
Watery brightness was curving around him, dding him in a translucent battle armor which was glittering in the sunlight.
Yuan Manqiu, Xiong Baili, as well as many teachers and soldiers in the military base recognized what had happened when they saw his grand appearance.
"Building Foundation Stage! A Cultivator has entered the Building Foundation Stage!"
"Who is it? Let me through! Who broke into the Building Foundation Stage?"
"Li Yao! Li Yao of the Grand Deste War Institution!"
"Vulture Li Yao has sessfully entered the Building Foundation Stage!"
Exmations came from the crowd nonstop. More people ran to the spot upon hearing the news, as they gazed at Li Yao in admiration.
Neither Xiong Baili nor Yuan Manqiu werebat-type Cultivators. Naturally, they would not be involved in the battles inside Red Lotus City directly but were fulfilling their duties in different positions inside the military base.
As a knowledgeable admin-type Cultivator, Xiong Baili was in charge of analyzing the identity, features, and specialties of the expert demons and store their detailed files into databases for future references.
As a refiner, Yuan Manqiu, leading the refiners from the Grand Deste War Institution, was responsible for maintaining the damaged magical equipment in the fierce battles.
The moment they heard that Li Yao was breaking into the Building Foundation Stage, they hurried to his training room and happened to run into Li Yao who was just walking out of the training room dazzlingly.
Yuan Manqiu''s thrill was apparent from her expression. Xiong Baili was nodding his head approvingly, too. Other teachers were also smiling with their mouths wide open.
In this fierce battle unseen for over the past hundred years, breakthroughs were not unusual. During the past ten days, the spiritual roots of many ordinary soldiers had undergone mutations, making them be Cultivators. There were also several Refinement Stage Cultivators who perceived the true destiny of Cultivation and embarked on the Building Foundation Stage.
Li Yao was not the first of them. But he was definitely the youngest.
Stepping into the Building Foundation Stage before 25 years old. He was even one year younger than Ding Lingdang when she entered the Building Foundation Stage. It was a remarkable achievement, not just locally but nationwide!
Xiong Baili and Yuan Manqiu exchanged nces with mixed feelings.
In recent years, the Grand Deste War Institution had been quite fortunate. At first, Ding Lingdang distinguished herself as one of the youngest Building Foundation Cultivators in the federation; then, the Refining Department rose to fame; now, Li Yao had entered the Building Foundation Stage as a student.
Without anyone knowing, the Grand Deste War Institution was no longer the tail-ender among the Nine Elite Universities in regard of theprehensive capability. It was almost as good as the influential colleges such as Star Neb University and First Military Academy of the Federation.
"Professor, Principal, I''ve entered the Building Foundation Stage!"
Li Yao withdrew the liquefied spiritual gas and enjoyed the amazing feeling when every vein and nerve of his was being nurtured by the elixir withplicated thoughts.
He had finally caught up to where Ding Lingdang had been more than one year ago, through arduousness and troubles that only he knew.
There was still a long way to go ahead.
But, with the support of so many people, he was confident to finish the journey one step after another.
"Beep!"
Li Yao turned on the mini crystal processor, opened the war mission system, and upgraded his files with histest progress.
"Li Yao of the Grand Deste War Institution has entered the Building Foundation Stage. Applying for missions that befit his current strength."
Li Yao nodded at Xiong Baili and Yuan Manqiu in apology.
"Sorry, Professor, Principal. My Cultivation is not stable at this moment since I just stepped into the Building Foundation Stage and I need to be engaged in massive fierce battles to consolidate it!"
"That''s alright. Go now."
Yuan Manqiu smiled. She and Xiong Baili were too experienced not to know the criticalness of the period when one just entered the Building Foundation Stage. Naturally, they wouldn''t hamstring him.
Xiong Baili patted his shoulder and said solemnly, "Li Yao, remember, the Grand Deste War Institution will always be proud of you!"
Li Yao was stunned for a moment. He had never expected the serious, meticulous principal to be so emotional.
After a while, Li Yao''s lips curled, as he put on a sunny smile on his face.
"Principle, professor, I''m always proud of the Grand Deste War Institution, too!"
"Shua!"
The Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit enclosed him again.
Different from when he was at the Refinement Stage, Li Yao did not feel the least hindering from the equipment. The suit had melted into his flesh and blood, while the crystal processor and his brain had integrated into one.
Li Yao turned into a goldser and darted towards Red Lotus City.
The fifty kilometers of distance were covered in no time. He appeared in the sky of the battleground which had been enshrouded in cannon fire and smoke.
"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"
Four arrows of acids, three streams of venomous liquid and an invisible st interweaved into a deadly and thrusted at him.
"It feels… good!"
Li Yao sensed his brand-new body of the Building Foundation Stage, while his soul rippled away and located eight bizarre-shaped figures in a dark corner by tracing back the furious attacks.
"Shua!"
The eight attacks hit him, or rather, his blurred shadow, simultaneously. Li Yao himself was not at the ce anymore. He turned into raging wind as he lunged at a copsed building.
"Nowmences my first battle in the Building Foundation Stage!"
…
Starting from that day, the intensity of the battles that Li Yao was engaged in within Red Lotus City had reached a whole new height.
As a Building Foundation Stage Cultivator, with the enhancement of his crystal suit, Li Yao was already one of the super elites on the battleground now. His appearance often meant the victory of his side in a battle.
He had also marched into the underground together with many other Building Foundation Cultivators and demolished dozens of the demon beasts'' dens. He even yed a seriously wounded high-level demon general in person.
Day by day, his strength had been on the rise in the bloody battles. He finally stabilized himself in the Building Foundation Stage.
In the meantime, the War of Seven Cities had almoste to end.
The brutal warsted only some twenty days, which was even shorter thanrge-scale beast tide outbreaks.
However, the toughness of the regr army of the demon n was fully demonstrated nheless.
Until thest moment, the regr demon army was still well-disciplined. It retreated silently overnight, leaving mediocre demon beasts behind as cannon fodder.
They also left a lot of deadly traps in the underground.
Red Lotus City was fine. But in Sunlit Cloud City, more than half of the underground ghost market was blown up by the demon n at the same time. Caught off guard, one Core Formation Stage Cultivator was killed, and another seriously wounded, not counting the many more missing Refinement Stage Cultivators and Building Foundation Stage Cultivators who were buried hundreds of meters under the ground.
The tragedy cast haze to the joy of victory.
…
In the morning, the first ray of sunlight reached the battle-scarred city.
Li Yao and Yuan Manqiu were walking on an uneven street.
"During the war, you''ve earned enough battle credits to meet the criterion of graduation.
"Besides, it seems inappropriate for you to keep being a student now that you''re in the Building Foundation Stage."
Yuan Manqiu smiled. "You should prepare to graduate when we''re back. What''s your future n?"
Before Li Yao was able to answer, she continued, "The demon invasion this time was quite abrupt. Thankfully, two legions of the federal army have been equipped with the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuits, making them the first two crystal suit legions in the world.
"The performance of the two legions was quite remarkable. Stationed in Eastern Stone City and Eternal Mountain City, they managed to resist the surging beast tide without much help from high-level Cultivators and killed a huge portion of the regr army of the demon n, like two millstones of blood and flesh.
"They were also one of the reasons why the demon n suddenly retreated.
"The military is very satisfied with the performance of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit. They have expressed their interest in increasing the amount of purchase to build up at least twenty crystal suit legions within the next three years.
"Therefore, we''ll be quite busy for a long time toe. How about staying in school after graduation as a researcher?
"This is a formal invitation from me on behalf of Principal Xiong.
"As for your benefits, you will be offered a package ording to the highest standard. It will be even higher than Ding Lingdang''s when she first started her career.
"You will still be able to enjoy the subsequent profits of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit, too.
"If you want to better your martial arts, you can alwaysmunicate with the teachers of the school. Nobody will hold anything back from you."
Li Yao narrowed his eyes and stared at the rising sun. Pondering for a long time, he shook his head.
"Professor, I''ve made ns for what I will do in the next couple of years.
"Project Mystic Skeleton has seeded. Many people in the military and in the Cultivation world who are skilled Exos wear the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit professionally now. I''m just a test pilot who would not be of much significance even if I stayed. I believe that the professors and experts are excellent enough for the revision and improvement work.
"There''s something that I haven''t told you yet.
"I have an invitation card from ult Orbs Fellowship.
"Speaking of my future ns, I will dedicate myself to training, before I join ult Orbs Fellowship and explore the relics and secret treasures that were buried during the 40,000 years of blood wars."
Over the past half a year, the federal government had unveiled to the public a lot of secret projects and ns. ult Orbs Fellowship gradually revealed itself to the public, too.
Besides, for an extraordinary figure such as Yuan Manqiu, she had heard of the existence of ult Orbs Fellowship back when she was in Deep Sea University. She had also been invited to several magical equipment seminars to study the secret treasures recovered from the ult Orbs.
Therefore, she was not surprised when she heard the name of ult Orbs Fellowship. Raising her eyebrow, shemented, "Exploring the ult Orbs can be dangerous."
Li Yao nodded his head.
"It is indeed. The casualty rate of the explorers is stunningly high. That''s why I can''t ept the offer of the school right now.
"However, exploring and training in the ult Orbs will boost my speed of Cultivation, too!
"Professor, we both know that the War of Seven Cities was just a beginning. There will be even more fierce battles where more expert demons will show up.
"I don''t… want to be a spectator on the ground craning my head dumbly watching the engagement of the elites.
"I crave for the strength which can enable me to fight with them.
"I also hope that I can dig out unfathomably ferocious magical equipment from the ult Orbs which is powerful enough to blow a demon emperor into pieces with one shot!
"Therefore, I have to go to the ult Orbs!"
Yuan Manqiu was amused.
"Don''t be childish. Even if there are prehistoric treasures inside the ult Orbs, they will be protected by all kinds of barriers, which will be too much for a beginner Building Foundation Stage Cultivator such as yourself to excavate or manipte.
"But you''re right about one thing. A great war ising. We all have to try our best to Cultivate. You have the full support from both me and Principal Xiong.
"The Grand Deste War Institution will always wee you. Pleasee back any time!"
"Of course I will!"
Li Yao smiled. "I''m definitelying back. Don''t forget that I''m going to knock the Refining Department of Deep Sea University to the ground, and the Refining Department of the Grand Deste War Institution will take their ce!"
The two of them looked at each other andughed. Then they stared at the heated scenes of infrastructure rebuilding which was soaking in morning glow.
In the depths of the underground, battles were still breaking out now and then.
But on the ground, the reconstruction work had already begun.
Thousands of soldiers of the federal army were drivingrge-scale bulldozers and excavators. Some of them were even clearing away the ruins with spades that had been carved with rune arrays.
Red Lotus City was on a mother lode of a huge reserve. There was no way that the federal government was giving up such a precious ce.
The old Red Lotus City had been devastated by the warfare. But with the help of the advanced magical equipment of the modern Cultivation civilization, a new,rger Red Lotus City would rise up from the ashes in no time, this time with higher city walls, stronger defense, denser street barricades, more flying sword formations, more automatic security systems, and keener underground monitoring systems.
More valiant soldiers and Cultivators who had been educated by the war would stay and guard the ce.
Besides a dpidated building, Li Yao suddenly stopped.
His eyes were attracted by a fresh greenness.
A de of grass popped up from the ckened messes and danced in the morning breeze.
It didn''t know what had happened to the city; it only stretched in the warm sunlight and sprayed hope and vigor.